There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces.

We eat matzah in memory of the quick flight of our ancestors from Egypt. As slaves, they faced many false starts before finally being let go. So when the word of their freedom came, they took whatever dough they had and ran with it before it had the chance to rise, leaving it looking something like matzah.

Uncover and hold up the three pieces of matzah and say:

This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry come and eat; all who are needy come and celebrate Passover with us. This year we are here; next year we will be in Israel. This year we are slaves; next year we will be free.

Wrap up the larger of the two pieces and, at some point between now and the end of dinner, hide it. This piece is called the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. After dinner, the guests will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal… and win a prize.


haggadah Section: Yachatz